Game Thread: Twins (Gray) v Mariners (Gilbert), 7/17/23 @ 8:40 CT

[USAFChief]

I want to be fair to Rocco, but continually putting Buxton in the middle of the lineup is just pigheaded or stupid.

[stringer bell]

Julien has been their best hitter since “The Meeting”. His defense remains very questionable and has cost several runs. 

[Parfigliano]

Just now, USAFChief said:

I want to be fair to Rocco, but continually putting Buxton in the middle of the lineup is just pigheaded or stupid.

Why not both with a big side of crazy

[tony&rodney]

1 minute ago, Parfigliano said:

Low bar compared to Buxton.

I cannot understand what is happening with Buxton. He looks hurt. Buck is a special athlete, but baseball requires some health. I guess we actually just don't know and he gets put in the three hole every game, yet he looks like a guy that belongs on the IL.

[USAFChief]

1 minute ago, stringer bell said:

Julien has been their best hitter since “The Meeting”. His defense remains very questionable and has cost several runs. 

Agreed but this team cannot afford to NOT have him in the lineup. 

Despite the D.

[SteveLV]

Twins are up vs. a tough pitcher, and said pitcher has had to throw 70 pitches to get through only 3 innings.

Bodes well for a long series if we can get into their bullpen early and often.

AK with a professional at bat there.  I wonder if Gallo was watching.  That, young man, is called a Sacrifice Fly.

[Schmoeman5]

1 minute ago, USAFChief said:

I want to be fair to Rocco, but continually putting Buxton in the middle of the lineup is just pigheaded or stupid.

I'll give him the benefit of doubt. Pigheaded. But I'm leaning 

[SwainZag]

70 pitches for Gilbert thru 3.  It would be great to start chewing thru Seattle's pen early.

[twins_89]

3 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Julien has been their best hitter since “The Meeting”. His defense remains very questionable and has cost several runs. 

If only there was a way he could hit without having to play in the field.

[LaBombo]

7 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Julien has been their best hitter since “The Meeting”. His defense remains very questionable and has cost several runs. 

Yup.  Fangraphs' Def for Edouard is -4.4, on a scale where -5.0 is giving your fellow defenders wedgies as they attempt to make a play.

 

That said, leaving his .285/.359/.518 bat out of the lineup is the sort of thing that helps make a manager expendable.

[ashbury]

47 minutes ago, mrtwinsfan said:

Dont quit your day job

Did that already, 10 years ago, and never looked back.

[USAFChief]

6 minutes ago, SteveLV said:

AK with a professional at bat there.  I wonder if Gallo was watching.  That, young man, is called a Sacrifice Fly.

Joey called. He says he has three of em already in the show, thankyouverymuch. 

[SteveLV]

Mr. Gray is dealing tonight, only 35 pitches through 3, 22 for strikes.

Keep it going!

[RickOShea]

2 minutes ago, twins_89 said:

If only there was a way he could hit without having to play in the field.

He needs to be Buxtonized!

[mrtwinsfan]

2 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Did that already, 10 years ago, and never looked back.

8 years here, good 4 u

[jkcarew]

4 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Agreed but this team cannot afford to NOT have him in the lineup. 

Despite the D.

Unless a left handed pitcher enters the game in…say, the 2nd inning.

Then you really have no choice but to bring in Castro or Farmer.

[SteveLV]

That Stat for Gallo, by the way, is easily the most mind-blowing stat in all of professional sports.  It is simply unfathomable that he only has 3 SF's in 2569 at bats in his career.  Someone smarter than me could probably determine how many times he came up with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs, but certainly many, many times more than 3 in all those AB's.

[mrtwinsfan]

The Kep--Step

[tony&rodney]

2 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

His defense remains very questionable and has cost several runs. 

Nobody is giving Julien credit for a great glove but he hasn't been hurting the team in the field. There have been three plays by my count.  The errors actually did not hurt. Julien has not had the number of innings on defense as others and I agree he isn't a good defender. Julien also has not been given any credit for showing better range than the other second basemen, which isn't saying he has good range.

When Polanco returns, does Eddie go back to St. Paul? The Twins need to make some decisions. The have been putting off hard calls for quite a while now.

[Parfigliano]

5 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Did that already, 10 years ago, and never looked back.

Retired 2016

[ashbury]

43 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Wally Pipp concurs.

Arguably the best $7,500 the Cincinnati Reds ever spent.

I mean, you try and acquire 2.5 WAR for that bargain price.

[LaBombo]

5 minutes ago, SteveLV said:

Mr. Gray is dealing tonight, only 35 pitches through 3, 22 for strikes.

Keep it going!

He looks determined not to waste the series' worth of run support the Twins have put up for him so far.

[tony&rodney]

The Twins are having some good at bats.

[mnfireman]

Imagine that, a lead-off double wasted, not even moved over to third.

[USAFChief]

1 minute ago, ashbury said:

Arguably the best $7,500 the Cincinnati Reds ever spent.

I mean, you try and acquire 2.5 WAR for that bargain price.

Remember how he always wore his stirrups way up high?

Hence his nickname: Wally Pippi Longstocking. 

[RickOShea]

Beautiful.  Twins just showed a text book way of blowing a lead-off double. ......Priceless.

[Dave Borton]

16 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

I want to be fair to Rocco, but continually putting Buxton in the middle of the lineup is just pigheaded or stupid.

He has no sense for the game.

[RickOShea]

Just now, USAFChief said:

Remember how he always wore his stirrups way up high?

Hence his nickname: Wally Pippi Longstocking. 

Just stop it.  My ribs can't keep handle these constant chuckles.

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, davidborton said:

A VP I worked with had a son working on dark matter. I asked him to explain it to me in layperson's language. I walked out 20 minutes later and couldn't even fill a cartoon bubble with anything I understood.

 

I know how you felt … a Blizzard makes it better

[Parfigliano]

Wasted DB.  Need to put these guys away.